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Satellite analysis names Energy Transfer largest US methane 'super-emitter'

scienceSep 15, 202642192

A UCLA Emmett Institute study using satellite data identifies an Energy Transfer gas processing facility near Shreveport, Louisiana, as the largest single methane super-emitter in the United States. From January 2025 to June this year the Shreveport site released methane at an average rate of 1.56 tonnes per hour, 15 times the super-emitter threshold defined in a Biden-era EPA program. The UCLA rankings match large methane plumes with potentially responsible operators using satellite imagery and public records, a process the researchers say is complicated by sparse official site records and clustered lease ownership. Dallas-based Energy Transfer is linked to four of the 15 top sites and to 75 methane plumes in the study period, three times as many plumes as the next operator; other major operators named include Enterprise Products, Targa Resources and Enlink. Energy Transfer did not answer questions about whether the Shreveport releases were intentional venting or leaks, and the company has previously reported methane-reduction measures such as optical gas imaging inspections. Cara Horowitz, executive director of the UCLA Emmett Institute, said repeat mega plumes are now visible from space and deserve public and regulatory attention. Climate experts and advocates quoted in the report say cutting methane emissions is vital to limit the climate crisis.

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